treacherous
by alivingfantasy
Summary: "I never stopped loving you." A night at a motel brings two separated hearts back together. But can true love really conquer all? A Spoby 3x24 speculation fic. Oneshot.


**a/n: hey there, my lovely readers. i'm back yet again, with another fic based on my fantasies about my gorgeous OTP :)**

**this little fic is based on a dream i had a few nights ago about what might happen if it really was Spoby at the motel in the season three finale that PLL creator Marlene King tweeted about recently. after i told a friend of mine, the beautiful Tracey, about the dream, she convinced me to write it out as a finale speculation fic. and so viola! "treacherous" was created.**

**so, obviously, huge thanks to Tracey, who not only inspired this fic, but gave me AMAZING advice, and even agreed to read through a rough draft for me. you are amazing, oh soulsister of mine, and i love you bunches! :D**

**also hugs and thanks to the fab Bree, who also dispensed her sweet words and advice. thanks again, dear! xo.**

**and lots of love and appreciation to every single one of my reviewers/followers/favoriters on here! you all make my day and i am so, so, SO grateful to you all! :)**

**so without further ado, here's "treacherous." hope you guys enjoy, and leave me a review to let me know how i did ;) thanks!**

**xoxo,**

**-Ana**

**-:-**

**-treacherous-**

"_Two headlights shine through the sleepless night _

_And I will get you, get you alone_

_Your name has echoed through my mind _

_And I just think you should, think you should know_

_That nothing safe is worth the drive _

_And I will follow you, follow you home,_

_I'll follow you, follow you home…"_

_-__**"Treacherous" by Taylor Swift**_

**-:-**

It was just before nine p.m. when Spencer Hastings' slim, brunette figure slipped into the dimly-lit, slightly dusty motel room at the Edgewood Motorcourt, closing the door against the sheets of pouring rain and howling winds outside. She was shivering and soaked to the bone, but determined.

Determined to trap the A Team. To finally rid herself and her three best friends from the constant heartache and turmoil. Determined to truly end it, once and for all. To find a way to move on from the trauma and the betrayal, the secrets, the heartbreak. And, of course, to move on from _him._

_Toby._

Her stomach lurched even thinking his name. Ever since she'd discovered that Toby was a part of the A Team, of this inescapable, horrifying nightmare, Spencer had found herself wallowing in depression. Hurt and betrayed, the once fiery Spencer was now a ghost of her former self. She hardly smiled, barely ate, and never slept. This had been her boyfriend, after all. The love of her life. Her rock and her sanctuary and her safe place to land.

But then suddenly, the perfect, sweet, loyal boy she'd thought she knew, thought she trusted…he was gone. In his place was someone evil. Cold and calculating, manipulative and cruel. He'd betrayed her in the very worst possible way, and the scars of his betrayal were now permanently branded into Spencer's tarnished soul. He'd told her he loved her. He'd let her love him while blatantly lying to her, using her as a pawn in his twisted game of revenge.

She'd fallen in love with him, and he'd caught her. He'd let her believe he'd _always _catch her. But then he dropped her and she'd fallen, hitting the ground and breaking, shattering, into a million tiny fragments.

This was what heartbreak felt like.

Spencer knew that Aria, Emily, and Hanna were worried about her. She caught their sideways glances; the furtive undertones of their gentle _are you okay?_s and _do you want to talk?_s; their cautious wording whenever they spoke of the A Team. That was one of the reasons she had come alone that night. She didn't want to add fuel to the fire by freaking the other girls out even more. Besides, they were all with their significant others—Hanna and Caleb were watching movies (read as: making out on the couch) at Hanna's house while Ashley was out of town; Aria and Ezra had gone to a play; and Emily had surprised Paige with concert tickets—and the last thing she wanted was to take away from that. So here she was, at a motel in the dead of night, making an extremely bold (or stupid, depending on how you looked at it) decision.

Spencer pulled out her iPhone and rechecked the text she had sent back to A's blocked number earlier that evening.

"_I have something you want. Meet at the Edgewood Motorcourt tonight, one on one."_

A had responded with a simple,

"_Deal."_

Spencer shuddered to think that it may have been her former loving, doting boyfriend that had hit 'send.'

Of course, she had absolutely nothing that A wanted. A had taken everything from her already. But if she let the bastards _think _she did, maybe she had a shot at bringing the entire team down. It had (almost) worked once before, with Mona in the greenhouse. Why not now?

Depositing her overnight bag on the single bed, Spencer headed into the bathroom to check out the damage the rain had done. As she went to close the door, it caught, staying halfway open. Rolling her eyes at the cheap motel, she crossed over to the slightly dusty mirror perched over the sink. Her plaid button down was soaked and clung to her skin, her jeans dripping, ivory skin clammy. Her mahogany curls were bedraggled, her boots waterlogged and squeaky. Peering into the mirror, however, all Spencer saw was who she once was. A girl happily in love, with sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks and a wide, dimpled smile. Then she blinked, and _poof, _that girl was gone, leaving this new, broken version behind. A broken girl with a broken heart, a heart still frantically beating for someone completely unattainable. Still beating for Toby.

She turned away from the mirror, absently turning the shiny brass room key over and over in her clenched hands. In her haste to book a room and get her plan moving into action—not to mention get out of the rain—she hadn't paid too much attention to the numbers engraved onto the key.

_Room 214._

And then suddenly everything—the Scrabble game ('goofball trumping 'glyceraldehyde'); "Top or bottom?"; waking up warm and secure, wrapped around him; the soft sunlight and early morning breeze as he kissed her tenderly, taking her by surprise and marking the start of a new beginning—came rushing back to her, and she sank down onto the cold, tiled floor, tears immediately cascading like tiny waterfalls down her already rain-dampened cheeks.

It was incredible, that after a month of knowing and accepting the fact that he was A, even the tiniest flicker of a memory reduced the strong brunette into a tearful, destroyed mess. The hold Toby had on her was too strong, and it wasn't letting go. But the memories of all the beautiful moments that had felt like forever were now all she had left. And she was not letting go of those memories.

Spencer swallowed hard, scanning the tiny motel room just past the ajar bathroom door. This was where they had begun. Where this insane rollercoaster of emotions had made its first loop-de-loop. And now, tonight, this was where they would end. Where Spencer and Toby would really and truly be completely over.

And she cried because she didn't want that to be. She wanted the boy she was in love with back. She wanted happiness and truth and purity back.

But it was far too late for that.

A sudden creak sent her whirling around, her heart thudding in panic as she spotted a figure slip in through the motel room's door. Glancing at the key in her hand, she mentally kicked herself for forgetting to lock up the room.

_Crap._

Ducking behind the dysfunctional bathroom door, Spencer held her breath, praying that the intruder wouldn't see her. They were coming closer now, the mirror reflecting back a faceless person, obscured by a black hoodie.

_A._

Spencer reached into her pocket for her phone, poised to attack or dial 9-1-1, whichever was necessary. But before she could even gather her wits about her, A saw her crouched behind the door.

"Spencer?"

That voice. That rich baritone saying her name with that amazing tenderness, that same voice that had reassured her, said he loved her, murmured how beautiful she was. The voice that made her knees weaken, her head spin, and her tear ducts react instantaneously.

The voice belonging to one Toby Cavanaugh.

"Toby?!" She jumped up as he entered the bathroom, almost throwing herself into his arms. Catching herself at the last minute, she wrapped her arms around herself instead, avoiding his searing gaze. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Toby pushed the black hood off his face, revealing his mussed chestnut curls. His sapphire-colored eyes bore straight into Spencer's chocolate ones, conveying a million apologies and promises into that one look. But Spencer didn't believe his apologies, and she didn't want to hear more promises he couldn't—wouldn't—keep. "Protecting you," he responded, taking another step into the tiny room. Spencer took a step away from him, letting out a borderline-hysteric laugh.

"You? Protect me? While in that hoodie? Hilarious joke, Toby. Mona's taught you well." She took another step away from him. "And if your sadistic cohorts sent you here to retrieve that little thing I have that you want…well, you just got played. This whole thing was a setup to catch you. And now that we've had this little chat, get the hell out. You don't have any other business here." Spencer rubbed her temple, cursing the universe for allowing her plan to backfire in probably the worst possible way. Now she had nothing. Nothing but an awkward encounter with her ex and the tears burning in the corners of her eyes as a result.

Toby, however, didn't budge. "I know," he said simply.

"What?"

Toby smiled slightly. "I know this was a setup. I know you, Spence. I know you'd plan-"

"Stop," she interrupted flatly. "You don't know me, okay? And don't call me _Spence_. Only my friends call me that. And you're not…you're not."

Toby looked like she'd just slapped him. "Spencer. Spencer, please. Just…listen to me, okay? I-"

"Listen to you?" Spencer snapped. "Why? So you can lie to me some more?"

"No!" Toby begged, reaching for her hand. She recoiled away from him. "I came here to apologize. When I realized this was a setup, I…I told them I'd come meet you here. You said one on one…" he trailed off. "I knew this was my only chance. My only chance to tell you how sorry I am. How much I miss you." Sincerity shone in his eyes, and she wanted to believe him _so badly. _God help her, she wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. Not after everything that had happened.

"How did you know what room I was in?" she asked, pulling at a loose thread on her top to avoid looking at him.

Toby offered her a lopsided smile. "I asked at the concierge desk. Told them I was your boyf-" he broke off, realizing his faux pas.

Spencer swallowed. "So. Am I actually going to be getting a visit from the rest of your team?"

Toby looked doubtful. "They may show up to see what happened to me?" he offered uncertainly. "They're…pretty unpredictable."

Spencer scoffed. "I'll bet." She finally met his gaze. "You know, you could just tell me who they are. If you're so concerned about my protection," she added bitterly.

Toby winced. "I…I don't know everyone who's on the A Team," he admitted sheepishly.

Spencer shot him an incredulous look. "What, you keep your identities a secret from yourselves, too?"

Toby shook his head. "Originally, it was just me and Mona. She blackmailed me into joining."

"Blackmailed you?"

"The same way Alison did. Dangled what happened with Jenna over my head."

Spencer frowned. "Why you?"

Toby grimaced. "I had an axe to grind with Alison. And you and your friends." He cleared his throat. "When you started tutoring me…I was supposed to try to get in good with you. Use you to figure out what you and the other girls were planning."

Spencer had feared this, but hearing Toby say it aloud sent her nerves fraying. "But?" she prompted, feeling as if there was more.

"But I fell in love with you," Toby blurted, all in one breath. "After I realized you felt the same way, I tried to get out of it. But Mona wouldn't let me. She needed me. That's why she forced you to break up with me."

Spencer flinched, sagging against the paper-thin walls for support. "But you looked so shocked…" her voice broke.

Toby nodded regretfully. "She didn't tell me until after it was all said and done. That whole thing with the shovel…I didn't find out about it until after you and your friends were in custody."

Spencer was at a loss for words. "But-but the scaffolding," she stammered. "A did that. After I kissed you…"

Toby let out a sigh. "Mona was furious after she found out about that kiss. I was supposed to stay away from you the same way you were supposed to stay away from me. So she cut the scaffolding to punish both of us."

"You left town after that," Spencer continued, reeling. "Where did you go?"

Toby sighed. "I knew where Mona sent Dr. Sullivan. I brought her back to prove that I still cared about you. But I couldn't let Mona hurt you, so I had to act…distant. After she was caught, I came to the police station, because I needed you to know."

"Pretending not to love you was the hardest thing I've ever done," Spencer breathed numbly.

Toby nodded. "After that…I thought it was over. We spent that summer together and I…I thought we never had to worry again. You were safe." He blew out a sigh. "And then I found out that there were more A Team members that I didn't know about. I don't know who else they are, though. I've only ever dealt with Mona." He eyed her pleadingly. "It's become so much bigger, so much more powerful…it's like this web. It gets bigger and bigger and more and more complex until you can't escape it. That's what happened to me. I'm trapped."

Spencer exhaled sharply. "So you came here to tell me that you don't want to be on the A Team? That you're as much a victim in this as I am?"

Toby looked at her. "I came here to ask you to forgive me. I know," he added, seeing her expression, "that nothing will ever be the same between us now. But I can't…I can't let you hate me," he finished mournfully, and Spencer felt a pang, seeing how hurt he was.

"I don't hate you," she said quietly. "I've tried to, but I can't. I just…can't."

Toby looked relieved. "So…friends, then?"

Spencer bit her lip. If she did this, she may be setting herself up for more hurt, but…she had to face facts. She needed Toby. And as much as _just friends _stung, it was better than nothing at all.

"Friends," she conceded, forcing a smile.

Toby smiled back. "So…is it all right if I stay with you here tonight? In case the A Team shows up?"

Spencer smirked. "Alpha male-ing again, huh?"

Toby grinned. "As your friend, it's my duty to keep you safe. So can I?"

Spencer swallowed again, the words _your friend _burning into her brain. Toby had always been so amazingly sweet and protective as her _boyfriend. _Thinking of him as anything less…it hurt. But she played along.

"I guess, as your friend, I'll have to let you."

Toby's smile widened and she felt her heart skip a beat, then beat too fast, her previous anger and suspicion vanishing at the sight of his deep dimples.

_Good decision, Spencer. Good decision._

**-:-**

A few minutes later, Spencer emptied out the contents of her overnight bag, searching for a change of clothes. She could've sworn she'd packed a pair of sweats and T-shirt…suddenly, a mental image of her bedroom as she swung the door shut on her way to the motel popped into her mind—with her comfy clothes folded neatly at the edge of her bed.

_Damn it, Spencer._

Toby noticed her scowl from where he was standing by the window. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern, shedding his hoodie and draping it over the windowsill.

"I seem to have forgotten my clothes," Spencer hissed through clenched teeth.

"Can I lend you something?" Toby asked sweetly. Spencer almost choked on her own saliva. Sharing a room was one thing, but wearing his shirt? That was a whole other realm of awkward, and the accompanying emotions would hurt way more than they would heal.

"Um, no. I'm fine." She pulled off her boots and socks, laying them at the foot of the ridiculously narrow bed and lying down atop the blankets. Toby clambered onto the bed, positioning himself beside her.

"Spencer…you're not gonna be able to sleep in that," he pointed out, rolling over to get a better look at her face. She threw him a stubborn glare.

"I can manage," she insisted, turning to the other side in an attempt to get comfortable. Toby leaned back into the bed, shaking his head slightly. Spencer was just something else.

And he loved her for that.

After a few fitful minutes, Spencer shot up in bed, causing Toby, who had been dozing off, to start in alarm. "Oh alright!" she blurted. "Give me the shirt."

Toby grinned to himself at how adorable she was when she pouted like that, pulling his baby blue V-neck T-shirt over his head, revealing his toned six-pack.

Spencer had to pinch the underside of her wrist to keep from staring—or drooling. After all, friends didn't check out friends, did they?

Then she realized that there was another problem.

"Um." She reddened as Toby handed her the shirt, his fingers brushing over hers. A tiny thrill went through her at the brief contact. "The bathroom door…doesn't close…all the way…"

Toby hated his mind for going where it did then. He was so desperately in love with the beautiful girl before him, and the universe seemed to be handing them every possible opportunity at reconciliation…but he had screwed up far too badly. It was too late. Spencer wasn't his to admire anymore.

"I won't look," he promised sincerely.

Spencer bit her lower lip. "I know you won't. It's me I'm worried about. I don't think too clearly around you."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she kicked herself. That was _not _something friends said to each other.

Toby swung himself off the bed, making his way to her. "Spencer-"

She cut him off. "I'm…going to go change."

"Uh, yeah," Toby said hurriedly, watching her speed to the bathroom. Once she was out of sight, he sank back onto the bed, wondering when, exactly, this had gotten so messed up.

Back in the bathroom, Spencer quickly stripped off her shirt and jeans. She eyed the T-shirt nervously for a moment, as if it were alive and deadly, before pulling it on.

Almost immediately, she began to cry.

It smelled like him. The woodsy scent of his cologne combined with sawdust and spearmint gum. It was warm and soft and secure, and it brought back those memories, of soft kisses and lingering hugs and blissful smiles and trucks and Scrabble games and rocking chairs and summer afternoons cuddling on her bed.

Finally, cried out, she dried her eyes with the back of her hand, smoothing the hem of the shirt, and headed back into the room where Toby waited.

His eyes widened when he saw her. _My God. She's so beautiful, _he thought. Seeing her in his shirt…it brought back a wave of palpable emotions, of feelings he couldn't be having. Realizing that he was staring, he shook himself from his forbidden thoughts and forced a friendly smile. "I was right. You do look better in my shirts than I do."

"And ninety-nine point nine percent of the female population of this town would agree you look better without them," she retorted with a smile. _So, so much better, _she thought wistfully.

Toby laughed lightly. "That's always good to hear."

Spencer lay down on the bed beside Toby again, giving him a tentative smile. "So…goodnight."

"Goodnight," Toby said softly, reaching up to flick off the lamp.

"Toby?" Spencer whispered sleepily into the dark.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're here. I missed you."

"I missed you too," he whispered back, his voice thick.

A few minutes later, he heard her breath easing toward the steady rhythm of sleep. He watched as she drifted off, and suddenly he couldn't take it anymore.

He reached over, brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen over her forehead. Stroking her hair, he thought about just how much he loved her. How he needed her. But he was willing to sacrifice, willing to stay away from her, if it meant she was safe.

She deserved so much better than him, anyway. Someone without baggage. Someone strong and smart and successful who didn't lie to her. Someone who she could love without it destroying her.

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry." He whispered tearfully, although she couldn't hear. "I love you. I never stopped loving you."

Suddenly, she jumped up, her eyes wide. Taken aback, Toby broke away as she turned to him in disbelief. "_What _did you just say?!"

Toby just looked at her, his heart thudding erratically.

"Toby, what…? You don't mean that." Spencer stated firmly. "You're lying. Trying to use me again. But I'm not falling for that again, okay?"

"Spencer," he pleaded. "I'm not lying. You have to believe me. I've lied about a lot," he confessed, "but not about that. _Never _about that. I love you so much, it hurts. I love you," he breathed pathetically, tears trickling down his face.

Spencer's heart, too, was beating frantically as she peered at him. And in that moment, she felt something like hope. Because as angry, as hurt, as broken as she was…she was desperately, passionately, hopelessly in love with him, too.

"Prove it." She breathed.

And then, all the lies and secrets and drama and horror be damned, Toby kissed her.

It was the soft, sweet, tender sort of kiss that marked a beginning; a "Once Upon a Time", not a "goodbye." Startled, all she could think to do was kiss him back. His fingers running through her hair, her hand cupping his face, they kissed like it was the last time they would ever have the chance.

Finally, they broke away, both breathless and quivering with desire. Their faces millimeters apart, Toby bent forward to touch his nose to hers, looking into her glassy, swimming eyes.

"Now do you believe me?"

She nodded, speechless, as mocha and chocolate locked once again, passion building between them.

He brushed his hand across her cheek, and she melted into his touch. After another long, deep, sensual kiss, she spoke the words that she had tried so hard to let go but couldn't, the words that defined her very heart and being.

"I love you. I love you, Toby."

He let out a sigh of contentment, the shattered fragments of his world suddenly coming back together.

"I love you, Spencer. So, so much. I always did, and I always will."

This slope that they traveled on, as treacherous and precarious as it was, was worth it. Because this dangerous path…it led to something beautiful. Something worthwhile.

And they were willing to fight for that.

_Fin._


End file.
